Agenda item

That Cabinet approved the amendments to the Climate and Nature Emergency Plan and adopted Cyngor Gwynedd's Climate and Nature Emergency Plan 2022/23 – 2029/30 (V.2).

The report was submitted by Cllr Craig ab Iago.

DECISION

That Cabinet approves the modifications to the Climate and Nature Emergency Plan and adopts Cyngor Gwynedd's Climate and Nature Emergency Plan 2022/23 – 2029/30 (V.2).

DISCUSSION

It was explained that the Climate and Nature Plan had been adopted for four years now, and therefore it was timely to review it.

It was highlighted that Cyngor Gwynedd was a leader in this area in Wales and more widely, recognising that this Council was one of the first councils to declare a climate change emergency, and subsequently established a Climate and Nature Board. There was pride in the fact that officers had been working on reducing the Council's carbon footprint for over a decade now, and the calibre of staff working in this area within the Council was praised. 

It was acknowledged that the next step in relation to the Plan was to work with residents, and it was mentioned that the public consultation held last year had highlighted the need to do so as well. It was explained that groups had discussed the Plan at conferences, and those discussions informed this review. 

Cabinet was reminded that applications for funding for the projects identified in the Plan would be submitted before it in due course.

The former vice-chair of the Communities Scrutiny Committee was welcomed to the meeting to present the Committee's recommendations to the Cabinet. It was noted that the Plan had been re-scrutinised by the Committee in January this year, explaining that the Committee had scrutinised the proposed changes to the Plan, the responses to the public consultation, and the funding sources that had been identified. It was stated that the Committee had welcomed the intention to revisit the Council's target of Net Zero Carbon by 2030. The message raised at the Scrutiny Committee was detailed, namely the need to be more ambitious.

It was confirmed that the Department had responded to all the recommendations made by the Scrutiny Committee, and that the majority of them had been incorporated into the Plan as well.

Observations arising from the discussion:

·       It was emphasised that it was key for the Council to remain ambitious in this area, especially given the extreme heat affecting the country at the moment. In light of the Welsh Government's review of the national Net 0 target and associated carbon budgets, it was asked if there was any update on this. The relevant Cabinet Member revealed that the Department was currently awaiting guidance from the Government, noting that it would be prepared to work with officers within the Government to try to turn the ambitions of this Council into a reality.

·       In response to a question about the next steps of this Plan, it was intended to share the Plan on social media and on the web, seeking to ensure that it was as accessible as possible. The photographs used throughout the document were praised.

An update on the plans to move towards a fleet of electric vehicles was requested. It was confirmed that this work was in the hands of the Council, while also acknowledging that support would be received from the Government to undertake some of this work. It was then noted that the turnover of lorries and heavy equipment took time as a result of having to wait to see what the market had to offer in terms of these heavy vehicles.